Want to run Android apps on your laptop or desktop, but you don’t have a Chromebook? Don’t worry, you can still do it. You might not know this, but Chrome has a tool that lets you test out Android apps in-browser.

Certainly, it makes sense to put some Android apps on your laptop. We’re talking about those that have no web equivalent like Snapchat or Evernote. Not to mention games. Any app that’s frustrating to use on a smaller screen, will probably work a lot better on the laptop or desktop.

However, during the Google I/O conference, a new emulator that allows Mac users to use Android apps on their laptops was launched. This emulator, known as Bluestacks, allows you to run Android apps on your Mac computer, much the way like you use it on your Android phone (minus the touch screen). Running Android Apps with BlueStacks. Apple doesn’t make it easy to run Android apps on your Mac, but with the help of an Android emulator, you can get your favorite apps up and running. You have a few different options when it comes to emulators. BlueStacks, one of the oldest and easiest-to-use Android emulators, is a good bet.

The tool you need to use in order to be able to run Android apps on your device is called ARC Welder. Originally ARC, which stands for App Runtime for Chrome was an experiment specifically designed for app developers, but now almost anyone can take advantage of it.

However, keep in mind that ARC Welder is based on Android 4.4 and comes with a few limitations including:

• You can only load one app at the time
• You need to select whether you want the app to launch in Portrait or Landscape mode
• You have to opt for tablet- or phone-mode

With that being said, let’s see how you can install the tool.

Install ARC Welder

Open the Chrome browser on your laptop or desktop computer, head on to the Chrome Web Page for ARC Welder and add the extension to your browser. After the short installation process, you should be able to start using Android apps on your desktop.

All desktop systems are supported including Windows 10, MacOS, and Linux. So the extension should work regardless of whether you’re using a Windows laptop or a Macbook.

However, we need to note that ARC Welder has been specifically designed for Chrome OS. The tool will highlight that saying that “You are using ARC Welder on a non-Chrome OS device. Platform-specific bugs exist.” This is a warning that not everything will work smoothly.

Find and download APK files

ARC Welder works with APK files, so in order to get Android apps to run on your PC, you will have to find and download the APK files of the apps you want to get on desktop.

We recommend you give a try one of these APK databases which offer a large selection of apps and games:

Use ARC Welder to run them

Once you’ve downloaded an APK, simply click on the “Add your APK” button to start testing. It will take a few seconds for it to load, but once it does, you’ll need to do a few additional things. Like select the orientation, form factor or whether the app should the resized.

Next, press test and wait for the app to load. It will do so in a separate window. We have to warn you that some of the apps will probably fail to load, as we found out in our testing. Some simply crash for inexplicable reasons.

For example, Instagram did not load for us, while Messenger Lite and Twitter worked just fine. Although the animations were a bit slow to load, the overall experience was pretty decent.

The majority of the games we tried to test didn’t work. Some did load the first screen, but then crashed afterwards, so this is a hit-and-miss kind of deal. Unfortunately, those who would like to test out games that are frustrating to play on a small smartphone screen, won’t have too much luck to do so.

Nevertheless, some app will work just fine, so if you’re patient enough you’ll find some that do.

How Can I Run Android Apps On My Mac Computer

If you tried out ARC Welder before, let us know in the comment section below which apps or games worked for you.

This guide will take you every step of the way through the process of setting up and installing Android Apps on your Mac.

Run Pc Apps On Mac

There are a few ways to do this. I’ve tried a lot (all?) of them, and in my opinion, this is the most ideal. It’s one of the ‘fastest’ (you can actually play games), it doesn’t crash as often as most, it has remarkably good keyboard and mouse integration (sometimes you forget you’re ‘supposed’ to be tapping the screen) and you can install most Apps. Instagram works, WhatsApp works, Plants vs. Zombies 1 & 2 work – so far I’ve only found one game that didn’t work. It’s entirely free too, which is a major bonus.

How Can I Run Android Apps On My Macbook Pro

1. Let’s just jump right in! Head over to BlueStacks and download the app player. The file is quite large so it may take a couple of minutes for the download to complete. When it has, double-click the .dmg file to open it and then double-click the BlueStacks icon to begin the installation.
2. Click the large Continue button to agree to the Terms and Services.
3. Enter your password when prompted.
4. Sit back and wait for a few moments :)
5. Click Allow to enable Location Services for your new “Android installation”.
6. You may be prompted to ‘Improve location accuracy’ – if you are, click Agree (this can always be disabled later if you feel the need).
7. Again, you may be prompted to turn on GPS for apps yet another time – click Yes
8. Now you’ll need to complete a couple of steps to finish the installation. The first is to enable the AppStore. Click Continue to begin.
9. Click Existing (assuming you have a gmail/Google account).
10. Enter your gmail address and password in the spaces provided and then click the ‘right arrow’ button (see screenshot below) to continue.
11. You will probably want to enable the BACKUP & RESTORE feature – even if you don’t use it. You will probably want to disable the COMMUNICATION option –
    do so by removing the check mark. When you’re ready, click the ‘right arrow’.
12. Now it’s time to enable AppSync. Click Continue
13. Once again you’ll need to sign in to your Google account. Enter your gmail address in the space provided, and then click the Next button.
14. Now enter your Google password and click Continue.
15. Almost done – you’ll now be signed in to your new BlueStacks Android App. NOTE: if this step seems to ‘stall’ for longer than a minute, use the back button built into the BlueStacks App.
16. The initial screen will be the Google Play Store. From here, you can start installing Apps –
17. Plants Vs. Zombies on my laptop has the potential to stop all work from happening.
18. And it’s entirely playable.
19. Some games even have built in notifications to let you know how the controls will function on your Mac. Instead of swiping and tapping, most often you’ll be using the arrow keys, the spacebar etc.
20. Other Apps and games will only run in ‘vertical’ mode – there isn’t much you can do about this.
21. WhatsApp worked perfectly – I tied my account to my Google Voice phone number and I was able to chat with all my friends.
22. Quite a few of the native Android features are still present in the BlueStacks App – including the ‘shelf’.
23. The “main” BlueStacks App screen is a bit dull and boring, but provides all the functionality needed to get the job done.
24. Try ‘clicking’ around (and hold down the button to ‘click and drag’) to discover features and settings. There isn’t a slew of info, but the FAQ section over at BlueStacks may help you resolve any issues you have.